Gas-engine.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

W. J. WRIGHT.

GAS ENGINE. PPLIOATION FILED JULY 20, 1900.

2` SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I0 MODEL.

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PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.. W. J. WRIGHT.

GAS ENGINE. APPLmA'rIoN FILED JULY zo. iooo.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

WILLIAM J. WRIGHT, YOF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF SEVEN- SIXTEENTHS TO JOHN I1`.l\/ICKIBBEN, W. LEE, AND FRED J. GALLOWAY,

OF PI-TTSBURGr, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.

Application filed July 20,1900.

To tZZ wiz/0111, t may con/cern.'

Be it known that LWILLIAM J .WRIGHT, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new andImproved Gas-Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionis in the nature of animproved explosive-engine wherein the gaseous pressure in a cylinder resulting from the comro bustion of a mixtureof air and an inflammable gas or vapor is caused to operate a piston coupled to a crank-shaft.

My invention seeks to provide certain'improvements in this type of engines whereby to produce very compact, economical, and effective operating, mechanism of the character stated and by which an explosive impulse can betransmitted to the crank-shaftat each quarter of its revolution.

In its more generic features my present invention comprehends two Working cylinders in each of which is a working piston, the two pistons being set to operate alternately and each piston shifted in its opposite directions by an explosive force taking place alternately at opposite ends thereof,` each piston being sentforward by an explosive charge twice during a complete revolution of the shaft, and by lreason of the alternate setting of the pistons 3o the shaft thereby receives an impulse at each quarter of its movement.

This invention also has for its purpose to provide an explosive-engine having but few parts compactly arranged, in which cams, ec-

centrics, and like devices commonly used for shifting the valves are dispensed with and in which a maximum amount of power is obtain-` able with a minimum arrangement of structural parts and consumption of fuel.

My present invention also embodies a novel correlation of a pair of working cylinders,each working in harmony with a special arrangement of pumping or cross-head'cylinder and in which but a single piston-rod is used for each set of working and pumping cylinders,

having a pair of piston-heads, one for the working cylinder and one for the pumping-` cylinder,the latter serving as a cross-head and maintaining the working piston in such done in engines having the pistons centrally 5o proper position within the Working cylinder vPatented June 30, 1903'.

PATENT OFFICE.

732,683, dated rune 30,1903.

serial No. 24.324. (no man.)

that danger of said working piston and the cylinder Wearingoff irregular, as is commonly joined to an oscillating piston-rod, is avoided.

Another and essential feature of my pres- 55 ent invention lies in the novel correlation of tw o distinct sets of operating devices for controlling aud explodinga working charge and novel means for joining the two sets of operating-devices with a single working-agent feed, 6o saidnovel means including a single valve mechanism arranged to operate at predetermined intervals to feed to one set of operating devices and then to the other set in such` manner to provide for creating a working 6s charge and exploding at one end of the piston in oneworking cylinder, then at the same end of the piston in the other working cylinder, then at the opposite end of the first piston, and then at the same end of the second pis- 7o ton, the said invention inits complete makeup also including an automatically-operating cut-off and feed mechanism for exhausting the working cylinders first under the expansion of the force of the explodedcharge and then under pressure of a new charge of pure mixture being supplied against the remaining burned charge. i

In its more subordinate nature my present invention consists in certain novel'pfeatures 8o of construction and combination of p'arts,all of which will hereinafter be fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- 85 Figure 1 is a top view of my improved engine, the working and the pump cylinders at one side being shown in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the governorvalve for regulating the feed of the'working 9o agent to the pumpingcylinders, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 4'. Fig. 3 is an inverted vplan of the rotary valve member forming a part of the device shown in Figs. 2 and 4:. Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken practically on the line 4 4 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the mechanism governing the exhaust of the burned mixture from the working cylinders and the feed of the working charge thereto,

the connecting-channels of the upper or rorco` tary valve member being shown in dotted lines, the said valve member not being shown. Fig. 6 is an inverted View of the rotary valve member forming part of the aforesaid mechanism. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7 7, and Fig. 8 is a similar View on the line 8 S, taken on Fig. 5.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which like characters indicate like parts in all the figures, A B designate, respectively, the working cylinder and the pumping-cylinder, forming one set of working-agent controlling and exploding mechanisms, and C D represent the working and pumping cylinders of the other set of controlling and exploding means. The pumping-cylinders B D are of like size, as are the cylinders A and C. The several cylinders `are of such length as to allow for a proper predetermined stroke of the piston-heads working in them, the cylinders A and C having the usual cooling-jackets, arranged as shown in Fig. 1. All of the cylinders are mounted in the same horizontal plane in two pairs of sets, one set consisting of the cylinders D and C, mounted in the same longitudinal alinement, and the other, B and A, mounted likewise in the same longitudinal alinement parallel to the first set, the purpose of which will be hereinafter fully eX- plained.

1 designates a piston-rod which extends into the adjacent ends of the cylinders B and A, one end of which is joined with the pump cross-head piston 2, the other end being secured to the working piston 3, it being understood that lthe piston-rod 4 of the other set of operatingdevices is similarly connected `with the pistons 2d 3c.

By arranging the several working and pumping cylinders and the piston-rods 1 and 4 as described and shown, the pistons 2 2d will serve as cross-heads for keeping the pis- `tons 8 3c in proper alinement and from having a rocking action within the cylinder, such as is incident in the use of the ordinary type of piston-head centrally connected with an oscillating pitman or crank rod.

As a further means for holding the two pistons 2 2 and 3 3c in proper alinement, and particularly for providinga com pactand economical engine structure and to dispense with the ordinary type of cross-heads, I connect each of the pistons 2 2d directly with the crank-shaft members 5 5 by pitman-rods 6, whose inner ends are pivotally joined to the pistons 2 2, asillustrated in Fig. 1, said rods (i oscillating in vertically-'elougated slots in the heads B D', which are normally held Huid-tight by the sliding plates 7 and oscillatingstulling-box 8, (illustrated in horizontal section in Fig. 1,) and the said cranks beingset one-fourth (-1-) in advance of the other. While YI prefer to connect the pistons 2 2d directly to the crank-shaft, it is obvious they may each be joined to a cross-head, as is ordinarily ,/done.

At each end of the cylinders B and D is a feed-port, said ports being designated by b ZJX and d dx in Fig. 1, and the several ports communicate with pipe-sections 9, 9, 9", and 9c, that connect with a single governor-valve mechanism, the detailed construction of which is illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, by reference to which it will be seen the saine consists ofa stationary base 10, mounted upon a suitable support a. The base 10 has an annular feed-channel 11, (through which fiows the mixed air and gas working agent,) with which communicate four inlet-ports b, a', CZ', and c', said ports extendingto the top of the base 10, as clearly seen in Fig. 2. The ports b', d', d', and c( are arranged on quarters, and adjacent said ports are escape-ports b2, a2, d2, and c2, that discharge into the pipes 9, 9, 9", and 9C, respectively.

12 designates the rotary valve member, held to rotate upon the" base 10, upon which it is secured to run freely and uniformly by the liange-ring 13, made fast to the base 10 and having an inwardly extending flange 13. (See Fig. 4.)

Upon the under side the valve member 12 has a pair of concentrically-arranged feedchannels 14 and 15 in the same radial alinement and extending nearly one-half around the valve-seat, the outer channel 14 being nearest the perimeter, whereby to travel over the several sets of ports c1. a2 and d (Z2, and the inner channel 15 travels over the ports b' b2 and c c2, said channels being so arranged as to open up communication at proper predetermined times alternately with the pumpcylinders B D.

So far as described the manner in which my improved engine operates, particularly as to the feeding of the working agent to the two cylinders B and D, is best explained as follows: The valve 12 is mounted upon the squared end 16fL of a shaft 16, held to rotate in the base 10, and the lower end of which carries a mitcr-gear17, that meshes with a similar gear 18 on the drive-shaft 19, geared with the crank-shaft, as shown in Fig. 1, the gear connections between the shafts being such thatthe valve l2 will makea com plete revolution at each complete turn of the crank-shaft, whereby the ports for the cylinder B will be first properly adjusted, then the ports for cylinder D, and so on successively. Assuming now the pistons 2 and 3 as moving in the direction of the arrow Y in Fig. 1 and the piston 2 just reaching the limit of its movement in the direction indicated, the charge in front of it now having gone out to the explosion-cylinder in a manner presently fully explained the channel 15 in the Valve 12 will just be bringing the port b2, that discharges into pipe-section 9, into communication with the feed-port b', and the working agent will then begin to liow through the inlet I) at the left-hand end of the cylinder B in Fig. 1. At the same time the cylinder D Will be taking a iiow of working agent back of the piston 2d IOO IIO

through the feed-inlet 0l under a full head, the piston 2d being at this time at the center of its stroke, the prior charge in front of the piston flowing to that end of the working cylinder in communication therewith. Thus by arranging the channels 14 and 15in the valve 12 and the several ports as described as soon as the piston 2d reaches that point of the finish of its stroke at the left-hand end of the cylinder D--that is, at a point where the'charge in front of it escapes-the feedsupply through the ports CZ d2 will be cut off, while the supply through the inlet b at the left of piston -2 will now be under a full head, the piston 2 being at this time at the center of its stroke in the direction of arrow Y'.

'When this occurs, the outer channel 14 (going in the direction of arrow Zin Fig. 2) will tinually-rotating valve regulates the inflow of the working agent to the opposite ends of the pumping-cylinders in such manner that an explosive mixture is drawn in at each quarter-turn of the crank-shaft.

For regulating the exhaust and supply ports of the two working cylinders a governor or regulating mechanism. similar in construction and action to the governor devices for the pump-cylinders is employed, said mech- -anism having in addition to the several sets of inlet ports coacting -exhaust governing outlets, the arrangement of Which is clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The Working-cylinder-controlling devices (indicated generally by X X) consist of a base portion 20, having a series of quadrally-arranged ports disposed in pairs and indicated by d3 d, b3 b4, a3 a4, and (s3-c4. The port d3 communicates with a pipe b, that connects with a discl1arge-outlet d5 in one end of-cylinder D. rlhe port b3 communicates through pipe d6 with the discharge-outlet b5 in cylinder B. The port a3 connects through pipe a, with the outlet d7 in cylinder D, and the port c3 communicates through pipe bs with the outlet b7'of cylinder B.

The outlets d4, b4, a4, and o4 discharge, re

spectively, into the feed-openin gs am, 010, b1",

and d10 of the working cylinders.

25 designates the rotary valve of the governor devices X X, the seat of which is also provided with two concentric feed-channels' 25 25", which are, however, of much less length than thelike chan nelsin valve 12 of the pump-'feed-governor devices, to eiect a quick action in leading t'necharge from the pumpcylinders into the opposite ends of the working cylinders, the two channels 25 25".being also of such relative arrangement that while theouter one, 25% is in position to allow a wideopen feed through portsy d3 d4 through the port ctw in cylinder A'the other channel, 25a, will j ust be beginning to open 11p a charge through port b4 to port @10 in cylinder C, it be' ing manifest that when the valve 25 is rotatedf an additional half-revolution the same relative adjustments for ports a4 and c4 for leading the charge to the ports bw and dmof the working cylinders is eected.- Y f The governor devices X X are also arrange to provide for exhausting the burned mixtures from, the cylinders A and C, and for such purpose said devices include a series of ports'arranged in pairs, one set, d3@ C140, being adjacent the ports cl3 d4, a second set, b3@ Z940, registering with the ports b3 b4, a third set,a30 a4",

being adjacent the ports a3 a4, and a fourth set, e30 040, adjacent the port-sc3 c4.

The ports also, b3", ago, and c3 each commu nicate with an offtake-pipe,indicated, re'- spectively, by 30, 30", 30, and 30d, that communicate with the exhaust-ports of the two carges into atmosphere, as indicated at 50a in Fig.

The valve 25 is madeof sufficient diameter .9o working cylinders, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, while all of the ports d, Z949, 0,40, and cto` emptyinto an exhaust-channel 50,- which dis-y to extend over the several exhausts during its 1 cycle of rotation, and-it has a supplemental pair of feed-channels 55 56, in practice so disposed that when the one, 55, is full over any one pair of the two sets of exhaust-ports with which it is coperatively arranged the other channel 56 will be in a position just begin'- ning to connect the next pair of exhaust-ports forward, as indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 5, by reference to which-it will alsobe noticed the channels 55 56 are of greater lengththan the channels 25"L and 25 and are so placed on the valve 25 aste come into an operative condition in advance of the channels 25a 25, so as to bring the ports (say (Z39 C140) into position to exhaust before the feed-ports (say d3 d4) are connected to allow for a charge of the working agent entering the end of the working cylinder fed from vthe port d4, the length of the channels 55 56 being such, however,l

IIO

sive impulse, at this timethe valve v12 in the feed-governor devices will move into-posi- .tion to gradually open up a feed of Working charge through the inlet 19X back of `'the pis` ton-head ,2, which comes to a-full head when the piston reaches the center of its stroke,

(indicated by line O.) lt' should be stated the feed and exhaust governing devices XX have the valve 25 then so timed that when the piston 3 passes the center (indicated by line O O) and when the force of the expansion or explosive force of the last-ignited charge has spent itself` the exhaust-ports C130 C140 will be brought into communication, and thereby allow the bulk of the burned mixture to blow out to atmosphere and begin to leave end A5 of cylinder in condition for a fresh charge, which immediately after the bulk of the burned mixture passes out enters from pipe b and the ports d3 d4, the feed-governor valve 12 being so placed to allow the new charge in front offpiston 2d being blown out into the pipe d at the proper time. The pistons 33 being set to operate on quarters and an explosion being provided for at each end of the pistonsI during one-half revolution of the shaft, the devices for governing the feed to the pump-cylinder and the feed of the working agent and the exhausts from the working cylinders are so arranged relatively and have their respective valves so cooperatively connected with a drive-power geared with the crank-shaft that when the piston 2 reaches the center O the working agent will begin to enter through inlet d in cylinder D.

Among other advantages my form of engine can be very economically constructed, and by reason of the manner in which the working agentis fed into the cylinders A and D and the manner in which the burned mixture is exhausted the said engine becomes one of great capacity with a very little consumption of fuel.

One of the essential features of my invention is that a single valve mechanism is provided for the Working-agent feed,which when once set will at all times maintain its proper operative condition, thus dispensing with the use of cams, trips, and eccentrics so common in the ordinary type of the explosive-engines. Again, in my construction of engine the feedports have no valves or cut-off devices governed by the explosive force of the engine, all of the feed-ports being governed by a valve device having a uniform action geared directly with the crank-shaft.

Another and important feature of my invention is that the explosion-chamber of the cylinders D and A are materially exhausted of the burned mixture before the new charge entel's, thereby providing for a pure mixture being fed to the cylinders D and A, it being understood that whatever residuum remaining in the explosion-chamber when the new charge enters will be blown out by the new charge.

Any wellknown means for ignitng the charges in the cylinders D and A may be provided-as, for example, electric means energized at the end of the stroke of the pistons 3 3% Another and very important advantage of my construction of engine is that no power is lost by compressing the working-agent charge twice, as is commonin the ordinary types of two-cycle engines, for the reason that the mixture in advance of the pump-piston is forced into the working cylinder by the forward movement thereof as the working piston passes over its center.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a gas-engine, the combination of two pumping-cylinders B D, two working pistons 3 3a, the cylinders A and C therefor, the crankshaft, and an automatically-operating means governed by the crank-shaft adapted to feed the Working agent into the two pumping-cylinders successively, first into one end of pump-cylinder B, then into same end of the other pump-cylinder D, then exhausting the charge in front of the piston in cylinder B, and then feeding a charge into other side of the piston in cylinder B, as set forth.

2. In an engine of the character stated; the combination with two sets of cylinders, a piston in each cylinder, the shaft having suitably-arranged cranks with which the two pistons connect, and a working feed; of a single governor mechanism including a continuously-operating valve arranged to first open the explosion end of one of the working cylinders to atmosphere, then open a workingcharge feed thereto as the other cylinder is taking an advance feed of the working agent in front of one end of its piston, and condensing a prior charge on the other end, ready for exploding, as set forth.

3. An improved gas-engine comprising two working cylinders, each having a feed inlet and exhaust, at each end thereof; a workingagent feed mechanism connected with the feed-ports, one set in advance of the other, and a valve mechanism governed by the rotation of the crank-shaft, said mechanism including a valve adapted to first open up the end of one of the cylinders to exhaust the burned mixture while it feeds to the corresponding end of the other cylinder and then feeds to the said explosion-chamber while still feeding to the same end of the other cylinder, as specified.

4. A gas-engine comprising a pair of working cylinders, a pair of pumping-cylinders, a piston for each set of working and pumping cylinders, said piston including a head operating in the pump-cylinder, and a head operating in the working cylinder, the two pistons operating alternately, each pumpcylinder having an induction and a discharge port at each end, the working cylinderhavin g at each end an inlet and an exhaust port, a workingagent supply, a governor mechanism including a shifting valve for the supply, said valve controlling the predetermined opening and closing of the induction-ports in the pumpcylinder, a second shifting valve in the governor mechanism in communication with the eduction-ports of the pumping-cylinders and with the inlets and exhausts of the working IOO IIO

cylinder, said last-named shifting valve conl cylinders having each a feed-induction and a trolling the predetermined opening and closl discharge portin each end,the discharge-ports ing of the'inlet and exhaust ports in the working cylinders, the two controlling-valves having gear connections with a continuously-operating part of the engine, for the purposes specified.

5. A gas-engine comprising a pair of-work ing cylinders, a pu [np-cylinder foreach working cylinder, arranged in the same longitudinal plane therewith, a single piston for each set of pump and working cylinders, said piston having a head operating in vthe working cylinder, and a head operating in the pumpcylinder, the pump-cylinder having a feedinlet and a discharge in each end, the discharges of one pump-cylindercommunicating with the inlets of the other working cylinder, a working-agent feed, means for exhausting the working cylinders in advance of the new charges supplied thereto, and means for automatically controlling the feed of the charges into `the two working cylinders, as set forth.

6. The combination with the working cylinders A C, each having inlets and exhausts in the opposite ends and a piston for each, operating between said inlets and exhausts; of the pump-cylinders B D, the cylindersB and D, being respectively in line with the working cylindersAand C, having their piston-heads connected to and movable in unison with the pistonsin the cylinders A and C, the pumpingof the cylinder D, being connectedwith the inlets of the cylinder A, and those of cylinder B, with cylinder C, and valve mechanism for controlling the inflow and outilow to and from the pump-cylinders, whereby a charge in advance of the piston in the cylinders B and D, will pass out to the Workingk cylinders coperating therewith as a new charge is drawn in back' of the pump-pistons, as specified.

7. In a gas-engine as described, the combination with the two working cylinders, anda pumping means for storing up a charge for one working cylinder as it forces a new charge linto the other working cylinder; of a Valve mechanism for controlling the inflow of the charges to the two working cylinders, said valve mechanism being in communication with the pumping means, and having supplemental ports adapted at a predeterminedl time to set the said mechanism to open up theexhaust-ports of the working cylinder to atmosphere, and before said ports are cnt off to open up'the ports for the passing of a new charge into the cylinder end being exhausted, as set forth. y 1

WM. J. WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

LOUIS DIETERICH, FRED G. DIETERIGH.

ferramenta". to 

